Dreams Aren't Enough
by Ceiphied Knight
Summary: Rezo was many things, but what if everything he said and did in his life had a hidden meaning?  Zelgadis sets off to discover whether or not his great-grandfather was lying about a cure, and finds more than he bargained for.  Some Z/A stuff at times
1. Dreams

**DREAMS AREN'T ENOUGH**

_I am SO SORRY but I totally just started another story. I was watching some Evolution-R today and got a terrible case of plotbunnies. I promise that I write a lot more during the fall and winter than I do during the summer! The next thing I will be working on is Chapter 5 of "Carry on Dancing," which has sat neglected for nearly a year. _

_It's no big secret that episode 10 of Evolution-R (Zelgadis' flashback episode) is my favorite episode of Slayers pretty much ever. As such, I felt that there was SO MUCH MORE that needed to be said. There are so many odd things that Rezo said and did that still don't add up for me, so this story is me exploring those things._

_Takes place after the end of Evo-R. We'll pretend like this is during the time when Lina and Gourry are off galavanting with Luke and Mileena._

* * *

The fire in the hearth flickered like an orgy of wild orange dancers, and the petite young woman watching couldn't help the wry smile that lit her face.

"You don't honestly expect me to believe that?" She asked of her tall, slender male companion.

The young man turned from the large palace window, pulling his gaze away from the light of the full moon that seemed to be hovering unnaturally close to Seyruun, and crossed his arms over his chest in a gesture very common to those who knew him well.

"Why would I lie about something like that?" Zelgadis Greywords answered with no hint of humor.

Amelia Wil Tesla Seyruun, the only remaining princess of the white magic capitol, stood from her wing-backed chair by the fire and sauntered over to the stoic chimera.

As she took in the sight of him in his pristine Seyruun robes with a certain possessive pride, he too admired the low-cut dress she wore.

"You mean to tell me," the princess continued, coming to a stop right in front of Zelgadis, "that you have _never _taken a simple moonlit stroll for pleasure?"

"Of course not. Don't be silly." Zelgadis turned his face to the side, blushing slightly. "Why would I partake in some silly romantic nonsense like moonlit strolls, anyway? I grew up around a group of men who lived on the road!"

Feeling a pressure in his palm, Zelgadis looked down to see that Amelia had taken his hand in hers and was gently tugging him toward the door.

"There's a first time for everything!" She quipped as she dragged him out into the night.

* * *

As they walked hand-in-hand down the cobblestone walkway through the palace gardens, well illuminated by the white light of the moon, Zelgadis had to admit to himself that it was...nice.

"Zelgadis-san," Amelia began after a long and companionable silence, "I hate to bring it up, but...daddy has been pushing me a bit more lately about training to take the throne. Now that he's King and since Gracia is most likely never coming back, there's a lot I have to do to prepare myself as the next heir."

"I understand," Zelgadis said, never missing a beat. "You won't have as much time for things like this. Not as much time for...me. You know I would never take it personally, Amelia."

Amelia let out a small sigh and stopped, pulling him to a stop next to her.

"That's not what I meant. What I meant is...I know what I'm going to be doing for the rest of my life, pretty much. It's actually a bit frustrating, to be honest. So I'm just wondering what you plan on doing? I certainly don't expect you to wait around for me."

When Amelia finally looked up, she was surprised to find Zelgadis' expression no less than dumbfounded.

"Amelia," he finally managed to blurt out, "Are _you _apologizing for keeping _me _waiting?"

The princess felt color flush her cheeks as she mumbled, "...Maybe?"

And then Zelgadis began laughing so hysterically that Amelia actually grew concerned after the first minute or so.

"Um...Zelgadis-san?" She placed a hand on one of his shaking shoulders. The chimera finally managed to pull himself together enough to turn and face her, still smiling.

"I'm sorry, Amelia. It's just that you're the most hilariously selfless person I've ever met."

Then he did something incredibly unexpected. He pulled her small frame into his own and hugged her for quite a long time.

Amelia was confused by his rather strange reactions, but she wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth. Standing on the tips of her toes, she wound her arms around his shoulders and held on tight.

Then Zelgadis did something else Amelia really wasn't expecting. Something she'd only seen him do once before in all the years she'd known him.

She felt the tears before she saw them. They fell on her bare shoulders and startled her.

"Zelgadis...?" She leaned back and cupped his face between both of her hands, forcing him to look at her.

His agonized expression greeted her, and she felt her heart plummet into her stomach. Something jagged and painful ripped through her, because his pain was also hers.

"There's something I have to tell you, Amelia." Zelgadis' voice was strained, but he pulled her over to a nearby bench and sat her down, then placed himself next to her. He never released her hands as he took two deep shaky breaths and plunged on.

"Back in Taforashia, Rezo said something strange to me that stuck out in my memory. You had already sent for the Durum disease cure, yet Rezo took me into a room full of herbs and other ingredients and started making lists. He told me to pay attention and remember what things he was telling me...just like when I was a boy and he was trying to get me to retain something new and important. Like when he taught me lock-picking, he always told me to pay attention to specific parts, and those parts were always the ones that were the most necessary. They were the things that needed to be practiced. At the time...there was so much going on with Pokota and the sick Taforashians...it didn't occur to me that he had said it was to slow the illness, yet I never saw him administer it to anyone. Help arrived from Seyruun so quickly that there was barely any time to brew a medicine of that caliber, anyway..."

Zelgadis paused and looked nervously at the princess, who he saw was hanging on every word.

"What I have to say next may sound crazy, Amelia. I think, beyond all else, I'm worried that you'll think I've become delusional."

Amelia squeezed his hands and proclaimed with the utmost sincerity, "I would never think that!"

So Zelgadis plunged on, hardly stopping to take a breath.

"Now that I've had time to replay it over and over in my memory, I've decided that at the very end Rezo was trying to make amends with me. Hell, maybe even with the whole world. He knew his soul would float around in the Hellmaster's Jar until it was inevitably revived, and he knew there was still a piece of Shabranigdu in there. He _wanted _to save Taforashia and fix that terrible sin he had committed. He wanted Lina to destroy Shabranigdu again because _he knew she could._ As for me...well...I think that maybe he was trying to tell me something. That list of ingredients he told me to remember...I still do. And I think it may be the key."

"Your cure," Amelia whispered. It was not a question.

Zelgadis nodded.

Scooting even closer to him, Amelia felt she had no choice but to try and be the voice of reason.

"It's certainly possible," she proceeded, cautiously. "After all, you knew Rezo better than anyone. But..." She trailed off, not wanting to upset him.

Zelgadis easily finished her thought, "But what if I'm just reading too much into it? Seeing what I want to see?"

"Well, yes."

Zelgadis shook his head.

"You know as well as I do that I never get my hopes up anymore. But, Amelia, I've had half a year to think about this. And there's one undeniable fact that I can't overlook."

"And what's that?" Amelia asked.

A cool breeze blew across the garden then, causing Amelia to shiver. Zelgadis pulled her so close to him that it seemed like he wished they could be joined together permanently.

Confusion and excitement shot through the princess. She was confused by the way Zelgadis was acting. He was taking chances with her that he had never taken before. He was undoubtedly excited about his new theory, but she couldn't figure out why that excitement was manifesting itself so fiercely in his actions. Her own excitement was much easier to figure out. He was trusting her with so much right now...more than he ever had before. He was giving her everything that was left of him after Rezo had torn his heart to shreds.

And just as she put two and two together, Zelgadis leaned over and kissed her lips so tenderly that she briefly forgot what they had been talking about in the first place.

As he pulled away, she leaned back into him to capture his lips for another brief moment. Then his warmth was gone, replaced by a far-away look and a sad smile.

With the light of the moon bouncing off his face like diamonds, making him look even more beautiful than Amelia had ever seen, Zelgadis answered the question that she felt like she had asked years ago rather than just minutes.

"The fact is...most of the ingredients he told me to remember were not in the storage room that day, and are not found _anywhere near Taforashia."_

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


	2. Beneficial

**Dreams Aren't Enough**

Chapter 2: Beneficial

_**Author's Note:** Hi everyone! Please don't be alarmed! I've changed my name on this site to match a bunch of my other sites! Please feel free to follow me on Tumblr and DeviantArt, as well!_

_I am slowly but surely working on all my stories, bit by bit. My goal being to finish all the ones in limbo during this year. This story, in particular, has grabbed a hold on me and refuses to let go. So please enjoy the ride!  
_

* * *

Zelgadis took three days to prepare for his departure. After living at the palace of Seyruun for half a year, leaving was the hardest part. The guilt associated with his journey was a foreign feeling to the chimera, since he had spent his entire life leaving places.

This time, though, things were very different. He had actually let Seyruun under his skin, and it was now the place he referred to as "home." Although, if he was being completely honest with himself, "home" was wherever Amelia happened to be.

As Zelgadis placed the last provision in a moderately sized satchel with the Seyruun royal crest on the side, he heaved a sigh.

She had said she was going with him, whether he wanted her to or not. But, fortunately, Phil had to put a stop to that. He had made many excellent points, not the least of which was that the kingdom needed its princess, and it did no one any good to have her gallivanting around getting into all kinds of danger.

Zelgadis has agreed, wholeheartedly. Of course he wanted her around. After all, he had no idea when he'd be able to get back to Seyruun. He would be a fool to think he wouldn't miss her terribly. But he didn't know exactly where he might end up, or what kind of unpleasant situations he might find himself in.

Amelia's pout had been adorable, but she'd finally conceded.

"Zelgadis-san," came her light soprano from the doorway of his room.

He spun to face her, not sure what he was going to say.

She approached him slowly, as if gauging his mood. But then, only about three feet from him, she threw herself at her friend and wrapped her arms tightly around him.

"I'm going to miss you, so much," he heard her say into his chest.

Zelgadis hugged the princess back and murmured, "I'm going to miss you, too. But I'll be happy knowing you're here and safe."

Amelia finally looked up at him, her eyes moist with unshed tears.

"And what about me?" she asked. "I'll need to know that you're safe."

Zelgadis opened his mouth to give some befuddled response, but he was interrupted by Amelia shoving a familiar object into his hand.

"You remember how to use it?" Amelia asked with a grin.

Zelgadis have a lop-sided smirk and said, "I think I can figure it out."

He placed the small bracelet with Amelia's blue amulet, enhanced with the Vision spell, into his pants pocket. They had used the bracelet after the defeat of Dark Star to keep in touch, and so that Amelia would have a vague idea of his whereabouts. When he'd returned for good, he'd given the bracelet back to her. He had hoped, of course, not to need it again.

Amelia had probably hoped, too.

The minuscule princess released her hold on the chimera and stepped back, absently wiping her eyes with the back of one hand.

"I hope you find what you're looking for," she said, softly.

With that, she turned on her heel and practically fled Zelgadis' room.

Not for the first time, and certainly not for the last, Zelgadis Greywords, mysterious sorcerer-swordsman, was left feeling like a great big jerk.

* * *

He left that night, with no fanfare and no one to see him off.

Zelgadis made his way to the East first, because the first herb mentioned by Rezo was the root of the vickus plant. The chimera knew of only one place vickus grew, and that was in the Thelius Mountains, which wrapped like giant arms around the town of Farrin and the Farrin River.

It took a week of travel to reach the town, and Zelgadis was damn tired of sleeping outside and cooking meals over a fire. As he approached Farrin, he lifted his hood and mask and decided to get an inn room and a little room service.

Another of Amelia's parting gifts was a hefty coin purse, which she must have sneaked into his satchel when she was saying goodbye to him. Zelgadis smirked under the mask that covered his face up to the eyes. She would have known he would turn down any money she offered him for the journey.

But it was too late now, and hopefully he would be able to pay her back. With interest.

It took him less than thirty seconds to find an inn once he entered the bustling town, and even less time to secure a room.

"What do you have as far as room service?" Zelgadis asked the innkeeper, not wanting to eat in the dining room with others.

"Sorry, son," the old woman said. "We're short staffed today so we're only offering meals in the dining hall."

Zelgadis sighed, and his stomach growled.

Embarrassed, he mumbled, "fine" and headed toward the restaurant portion of the inn.

The chimera decided to sit at the bar, so at least his back would be to the room and only the bartender would see his face. Venturing so far out from Seyruun, his comfort zone, was more difficult than he remembered.

A grouchy, crater-faced bartender approached him and growled, "Whatcha drinkin'?"

Zelgadis lowered his mask, but kept his hood up. The bartender's eyes widened a bit, but he said nothing.

"I want a pint of ale and my meal served to me here, as well."

With that, Zelgadis threw a gold coin onto the bar and effectively bought the man's compliance and silence.

"Big spender," came an unfamiliar female voice behind the chimera.

Zelgadis did not turn around but looked out of the corner of his eye. A young woman had just taken the seat right next to him, and was grinning broadly at him.

After several moments of silence, Zelgadis finally said, "Do I know you?"

"Nope," the woman said, then ordered a beer and did not elaborate any further.

When she slammed the spent glass down on the bar and Zelgadis was splashed with errant droplets, he growled in his most threatening voice, "There are plenty of other open seats."

The woman looked at him oddly for a moment, then leaned in and proclaimed, "But I like this one!"

Zelgadis sighed and stood, ready to flee to his room, but was stopped by a hand on his arm.

"Hey," the woman said, looking up at him.

Zelgadis finally turned around and looked at the woman. Or, if he was being honest, she looked to be more of a girl.

She had short pink hair and big green eyes. She looked to be younger than Amelia, though Zelgadis knew to never judge a book by its cover.

Narrowing his eyes, Zelgadis asked, "What do you want?"

"I'm Gia," the girl said, with no preamble. "I saw you check in, and it seemed like you were packed for a very long trip. I'm on my way to Atlas City, and I'd like a guide. So, if you're going that way, how about we team up?"

"Not interested," Zelgadis said, trying to reign in his exasperation. He shrugged his arm out of her hold and turned to leave again.

"Aw, come on!" Gia called out, jumping out of her seat. "I don't take up much space, I can do magic, and I can pay you!"

Zelgadis stopped. He turned slowly to face the girl again and asked the one major question that was bothering him.

"Why me?"

Gia smiled. "Honestly? I saw the Seyruun crest on your bag. My grandparents live there, and they're amazing, so I thought you must be a trustworthy kind of guy!"

Zelgadis sighed and said, "You can't judge people's worth based on things like that. I could be a killer or a rapist or any manner of horrible things. Unfortunately, Seyruun does have people like that."

"You're not like that," Gia said, very matter-of-factly.

"Oh?"

"Obviously. If you were, you wouldn't be warning me that you might be like that."

Zelgadis crossed his arms over his chest and started, "Look, kid..."

"I'm not a kid, I'm fifteen," Gia interrupted.

Zelgadis was a bit taken aback. He had figured she was young, but he wasn't expecting the memory that came unbidden to his mind.

Lina had been fifteen when they'd first met.

And that had been over five years ago.

Zelgadis suddenly felt very old.

With another sigh but without another word to the girl, he left the dining hall and went to bed.

* * *

Bag flung over his shoulder and hood and mask in place, Zelgadis had just set foot outside the inn after a very restful night's sleep when his peace was destroyed.

"Hi!" came a cheerful voice behind him.

Zelgadis paused for only a split second, then resumed his walking. His thought being that maybe if he ignored her, she'd go away.

Unfortunately, he was not so lucky.

"So," Gia said, lightly bouncing along next to him, "What's your name, partner?"

Zelgadis said nothing.

After a moment, she tried again.

"It's okay if you don't answer me, because I can talk _all day_ without stopping! I travel alone most of the time so I have a lot of stuff to talk about! One time I was in Acassi and the weirdest thing happened..."

"Zelgadis," the chimera finally said, gritting his teeth.

"Hi, Zelgadis! Nice to meet you! Where are we going?"

"_I _am going to the mountains. You can go straight to..."

"OH! I love the mountains! Why are we going there?"

"Because I'm looking for the root from a vickus plant."

"Those are gorgeous when they bloom," Gia said softly, dropping her cheerful facade for the first time.

Zelgadis finally stopped walking and turned to the girl.

"You've seen one? You know what they look like?"

Gia's face lit up again as she said, "Of course! I could find you one in no time!"

Zelgadis mulled over that piece of information. Finally, he said, "Fine, you can come with me. But only if you find me the plant, and only as far as my next stop. Then you're on your own. Deal?"

"Deal!" Gia exclaimed, happily.

As they began walking again, Gia asked, "So, Zelgadis, why do you want the root of a vickus plant?"

He had a short internal debate regarding whether or not to tell her the truth, but then decided that a fifteen year old girl was unlikely to deter him from his cure.

"It's one of the ingredients I need to create a possible cure for my body."

Gia was silent for a moment. Then: "What's wrong with your body?"

Zelgadis tripped over his own feet and spun on the girl. "Did you not notice that I'm a chimera? That I'm part golem? I have _rocks_ all over me!"

Gia quietly studied him and then answered, "Nope. I just figured all your people look like that."

It was going to be a long trip.

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


End file.
